To Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelical | Botswana | - | 4.00% | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* "Southern Africa " in SIM NOW, Feb. 1999 (vol. #85); (viewed online 6 July 1999); SIM International web site. | "Botswana... Christianity is popular, but only 4 out of 100 people are evangelical Christians. " |
| Herero | Botswana | 25,000 | - | - | - | 1993 | Laure, Jason. Botswana (series: "Enchantment of the World "). Chicago: Childrens Press (1993), pg. 7. | "There are about 1.3 million people living in Botswana. Most of them belong to the eight Tswana clans. There also are small groups of people belonging to other cultures who make their home here, including about 25,000 Herero... " |
| Islam | Botswana | 30,000 | 5.00% | - | - | 1986 | *LINK* Web site: "Arabic Paper "; web page: "Muslim Countries of the World " (viewed 15 June 1999). [Written 1998.] | [NOTE: Unreliable statistical methodology.] "In 1986... Muslim Education Trust organization [U.K.] obtained... 1971 census & [info. from] Embassies of the respective countires... 1971 census showed the Muslim Minorities countries had around 308 Million Muslim.. "; "...add (784.5M [independent Muslim countries]+ 308M) = 1092.5 Million Muslims in 1971 "; Table shows country, "population " [number of Muslims in the country], & % Muslim. Total adds up to 317,391,000, so these figures are apparently intended to be estimates for 1986. |
| Islam | Botswana | 600 | 0.04% | - | - | 2000 | K. F. Bin Mohd Noor. "Muslims Statistics... for Year 2000 " [orig. src: Barrett. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982] | Table |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Botswana | 373 | 0.05% | 16 units |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Adherent count here is from "1983 Peak Publishers " column |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Botswana | 1,098 | 0.07% | 24 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site | Adherent/member count is for "1997 Peak Witnesses "; Memorial attendance (annual sacrament meeting) for same year: 3,535. |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Botswana | 1,153 | 0.07% | 25 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; This adherent/member count is for "1998 Peak Witnesses " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Botswana | 1,217 | - | 16 units |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Data from columns: "No. of congs. " and "Memorial attendance " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Botswana | 3,535 | 0.23% | 24 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site | From 1997 Statistics "Memorial attendance " column. Count of all who attend this once-a-year meeting, whether or not a "publisher " in full standing. Most would be considered adherents. |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Botswana | 3,007 | 0.19% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; "Memorial attendance " column indicates attendance at yearly communion meeting. |
| Lutheran | Botswana | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site; (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | African Independent Churches (16) 5%. Protestants 26%. Community 172,000. Denominations 16. Largest -Congregational (LMS) 20,000. Lutheran 50,000; Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRC) 21,000; Assemblies of God 3,000; Baptists 800. Evangelicals 3%. |
| other | Botswana | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; "other " = NOT primal-indigenous, Protestant, African Christian or Roman Catholic |
| primal-indigenous | Botswana | - | 49.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% "; Listed in table as "Traditional beliefs " |
| primal-indigenous | Botswana | 700,000 | 50.00% | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Southern Africa (UCCSA) " (viewed 31 May 1999). | Population (1994 United Nations estimate):... Botswana: 1.4 million... Main religions:... Botswana: Christianity (50%). Tribal religions (50%)... " |
| primal-indigenous | Botswana | 730,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; listed as "traditional beliefs " |
| primal-indigenous | Botswana | 750,382 | 50.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%; Total population: 1,500,765. |
| primal-indigenous | Botswana | - | 37.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) | Table "Religions "; listed in table as "animism " |
| Protestant | Botswana | - | 41.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% "; Protestant "includes all non-Roman Catholic denominations " |
| Protestant | Botswana | 390,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Protestant | Botswana | - | 26.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site; (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | African Independent Churches (16) 5%. Protestants 26%. Community 172,000. Denominations 16. Largest -Congregational (LMS) 20,000. Lutheran 50,000; Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRC) 21,000; Assemblies of God 3,000; Baptists 800. Evangelicals 3%. |
| Protestant | Botswana | - | 20.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) | Table "Religions " |
| SIM International | Botswana | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* "Southern Africa " in SIM NOW, Feb. 1999 (vol. #85); (viewed online 6 July 1999); SIM International web site. | "We [SIM International] are now working with the Africa Evangelical Church (AEC) to reach the San (Bushman) people of the Kalahari Desert, distribute Bibles and Christian literature through Lesedi Christian Center, and train leaders both locally and at the Shashe Bible Training College. " |
| African Traditional Religion | Brazil | 30,000,000 | - | - | - | 1968 | *LINK* web page: "African Religion syncretism " (viewed 1 March 1999) | Mainly Umbanda |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1970 | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 15). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1978. | "The [religious groups] that flourish among Negroes in Haiti and Brazil bear very evident traces of their antique African origin. The Negro populations of the Brazilian coastal cities such as Recife, Bahia and Rio, maintain shrines in which the deities who are worshipped are, despite the Christianization of their names, readily identifiable as gods worshipped by their ancestors in Nigeria and Dahomey. " |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally published as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 799. | "Voodoo... The religion developed largely from Dahoman sources, incorporating elements from other West African traditions, as well as elements of Catholicism... Similar religious systems can be found in other areas which had West African slave populations, particularly Brazil. " |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1997 | Heinrichs, Ann. Brazil ( "Enchantment of the World Second Series "). New York: Children's Press (1997), pg. 96. | "Candomble is a religion that mixes African folk beliefs with Catholic symbols. It centers in Bahia state, where it originated among African slaves. Macumba and umbanda are variations found in other parts of the country. " |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* "AFRICAN RELIGION syncretism " (viewed 5 April 1999) | "In Brasil there seems to be four distinct movements, Candomble of Bahia and the northeast, Spiritism of Rio and the more advanced urban centers; Umbanda in the urban centers not influenced by Bahia and Quimbanda a form of black magic that is practiced clandestinely everywhere. " |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 14-15. | Chapter: "African Brazilians "; "Location: Brazil; Population About 16 million; Religion: Afro-Brazilian sects such as Condomble; spiritualist sects "; "Afro-Brazilian sects are becoming increasingly popular with Blacks and Whites alike in Brazil. There are a variety of religious groupings that continue to follow traditional African religious practices. The first is Condomble, a religion practiced by slaves from the Yoruba tribe... Other spiritualist sects, such as Umbanda, combine African and non-African influences. " [Note: Although it is a prevalent choice among Brazilian blacks, not all can be considered adherents of Afro-Brazilian sects.] |
| Afro-Brazilian religions | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 88. | Chapter: "Brazilians "; "After Catholicism, Afro-Brazilian religions are the most important in Brazilian society. Umbanda, for example, is one of the most rapidly growing sects. Attracting both African and non-African Brazilians... " |
| Apinaye | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 702. | Chapter: "South American Tribal Religions "; map: "Tribal Locations "; northeast Brazil |
| Arawak | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1949 | Pinney, Roy. Vanishing Tribes. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (1968), pg. 205, 210-212. | "While studying all four of the language groups in the area--the Carib, the Arawak, the Tupi, and the Trumai--Oberg concentrated intensively on a single village, that of the Camayura... " |
| Assembleias de Deus | Brazil | 4,000,000 | - | - | - | 1987 | Bishop, Peter & Michael Darton (editors). The Encyclopedia of World Faiths: An Illustrated Survey of the World's Living Faiths. New York: Facts on File Publications (1987), pg. 133. | "Of the total of about 30 million adherents of Pentecostal Churches, the largest number in any one country is in Brazil where one Church alone, the Assembleias de Deus, counts four million members, and where the Igreja Evangelica Pentecostal -- a member-Church of the World Council of Churches -- counts one million. " |
| Assembleias de Deus | Brazil | 15,000,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Cox, Harvey. Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century; New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (1994), pg. 161-162. | "...Assembleia de Deus, a Brazilian pentecostal denomination with ties to the Assemblies of God, a worldwide org. with its headquarters in Springfield, Missouri... Assembleia de Deus. This denomination spread with breathtaking rapidity to every state & region in the country, & now claims somewhere between 11 and 15 million Brazilian members. " |
| Assembleias de Deus | Brazil | 13,000,000 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Nascimento, Elma Lia. "Praise the Lord and pass the catch-up ", "news from Brazil, November 1995; dateline: Brazzil ". (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com) | "Even today the Universal is not the biggest evangelical church in Brazil. The Assembleia de Deu (Assembly of God), for example, has 13 million followers and the Congregation Cristo do Brasil (Brazil's Christian Congregation) and the Igreja Luteran (Lutheran Church) have 4 million apiece. " |
| Assemblies of God | Brazil | 15,000,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Cox, Harvey. Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century; New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (1994), pg. 161-162. | "...Assembleia de Deus, a Brazilian pentecostal denomination with ties to the Assemblies of God, a worldwide org. with its headquarters in Springfield, Missouri... Assembleia de Deus. This denomination spread with breathtaking rapidity to every state & region in the country, & now claims somewhere between 11 and 15 million Brazilian members. " |
| Assemblies of God | Brazil | 8,000,000 | - | - | - | 2000 | *LINK* "The church is larger than you think " in DAWN Fridayfax 1998 #28. (Original source: Patrick Johnstone. "The Church is bigger than you think ", WEC, Bulstrode, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, U.K.) | "Even according to conservative estimates, in which enthusiastic exaggerations of membership numbers such as that of the Assemblies of God were corrected from 16 to 8 million, there are more evangelical Christians in Brazil than in all of Europe " |
| Associacao das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil | Brazil | 745 | - | 3 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Mennonite World Conference web site. Directory 1998. Web page: "Carribean, Central & South America: Mennonite & Brethren in Christ Churches " | BRAZIL... Associacao das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil; Members: 745; Congregations: 3 |
| Associacao Evangelica Menonita | Brazil | 1,600 | - | 27 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Mennonite World Conference web site. Directory 1998. Web page: "Carribean, Central & South America: Mennonite & Brethren in Christ Churches " | BRAZIL: Associacao Evangelica Menonita; Members: 1,600; Congregations: 27 |
| attendance - weekly | Brazil | - | 36.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "The University of Michigan News and Information Services "; web page: "Study identifies worldwide rates of religiosity, church attendance " (viewed 17 April 1999). "News Release: December 10, 1997 " By Diane Swanbrow. | Table: weekly church attendance in various nations. "Source: Based on latest avail. data from... World Values surveys. Results with an asterisk are from the 1990-1991 survey; all others are from 1995-1997 survey. " |
| Baptist World Alliance | Brazil | 1,102,000 | 0.66% | 5,910 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals "; [BWA stats. in individual countries are sum of figures for member bodies of BWA in the countries.]; [County population figures for 1998 from United Nations data available here.] |
| Bororo | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 702. | Chapter: "South American Tribal Religions "; map: "Tribal Locations "; southern Brazil |
| Brazil's Christian Congregation | Brazil | 4,000,000 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Nascimento, Elma Lia. "Praise the Lord and pass the catch-up ", "news from Brazil, November 1995; dateline: Brazzil ". (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com) | "Even today the Universal is not the biggest evangelical church in Brazil. The Assembleia de Deu (Assembly of God), for example, has 13 million followers and the Congregation Cristo do Brasil (Brazil's Christian Congregation) and the Igreja Luteran (Lutheran Church) have 4 million apiece. " |
| Brazilian Baptist Convention | Brazil | 902,000 | - | 4,810 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals " |
| Brazilian Evangelical Association | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Epstein, Jack. "Kicking of icon outrages Brazil Catholics " in Dallas Morning News, November 24, 1995; (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com). | "But even some fellow evangelicals have joined Mr. Macedo's critics. 'The Universal church [of the Kingdom of God] is the object of frequent embarrassment and shame for the evangelical population,' wrote the Brazilian Evangelical Association, a group representing 200 churches [religious bodies], in a recent document announcing its break with the Universal church. 'Its practices impede others from becoming evangelists.' " |
| Caingang | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 702. | Chapter: "South American Tribal Religions "; map: "Tribal Locations "; southern Brazil |
| Camayura | Brazil | 200 | - | 1 unit |
1 country |
1968 | Pinney, Roy. Vanishing Tribes. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (1968), pg. 205, 210-212. | "...the country of the Rio Xingu, a major waterway that rises in the sandstone plateaus of Brazil and flows northward to the might Amazon... "; Pg. 210: "Anthropologist Kalervo Oberg... entered the area in the late 1940's and emerged some months later with a report that is still the main source of our knowledge about the Indians. While studying all four of the language groups in the area--the Carib, the Arawak, the Tupi, and the Trumai--Oberg concentrated intensively on a single village, that of the Camayura, one of the two Tupi-speaking groups in the area. The Camaruya village comprises a hundred or so people, who live in mud hats thatched with dried grass... In many ways the Camayura are typical of all the Xingu tribes... The spirits that infest the Camayura world are called the mama' ?/i>... Most of the other tribes in the region have in their religions a parallel set of spirits, called mopit by the Aueti... " [other distinctions described] |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1970 | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 15). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1981. | "...the candombles of Bahia and Recife... The candombles are in themselves not an organized religious movement, but rather a collection of independent shrines presided over by a priest or priestess... The clientele is largely Negro, but in recent years the spectacular performances of some priestesses whilst possessed have begun to command the attendance of more sophisticated Brazilians, and perhaps also their belief. " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1993 | Brandon, George. Santeria from Africa to the New World: Dead Sell Memories. Bloomington and Indiana: Indiana University Press (1993), pg. 2. | "...Yoruba-based religious forms that exist in the Caribbean, in Central & South America... Santeria is the Cuban variant of this tradition. Shango in Trinidad and on Grenada, Xango and Candomble in Brazil, and Kele on St. Lucia are other examples... " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1996 | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 358. | "But in the Caribbean and South America, where slave owners were mainly Catholic, the religion of the slaves retained much more of their African ancestral beliefs, concealed by or integrated with those of the slavemasters. The most widespread and influential of these religions--sometimes called diasporan in reference to the forced Diaspora of the Jews from their homeland--are Vodou in Haiti, Candomble in Brazil, and Santeria in Cuba. " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1996 | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 360-361. | "Candomble is the generic name for a number of African religious traditions established by slaves in 19th-century Brazil, specifically in the region of Bahia. (In the southeast it is called Macumba; Rio de Janeiro's sect is known as Umbanda.)... The center of Candomble is the city of Salvador da Bahia... Candomble has recently achieved the status of an official religion; priestesses and priests no longer need a police permit to perform ceremonies, and demands by the priesthood to remove images of the orixas from the annual Bahian Carnaval were upheld by the government. " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1997 | Heinrichs, Ann. Brazil ( "Enchantment of the World Second Series "). New York: Children's Press (1997), pg. 96-98. | "Candomble is a religion that mixes African folk beliefs with Catholic symbols. It centers in Bahia state, where it originated among African slaves... Candomble ceremonies often take place at night, outdoors, and near a body of water... From the African community, candomble spread through all levels of Brazilian society. Christian churches have tried to discourage candomble, but without much success. " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* "AFRICAN RELIGION syncretism " (viewed 5 April 1999) | "In Brasil there seems to be four distinct movements, Candomble of Bahia and the northeast, Spiritism of Rio and the more advanced urban centers; Umbanda in the urban centers not influenced by Bahia and Quimbanda a form of black magic that is practiced clandestinely everywhere. " |
| Candomble | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Davis, Rod. American Voudou: Journey Into A Hidden World. Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press (1998), pg. 9. | "In different areas, voudou has different rituals and doctrines, running a sectarian range roughly comparable to that from Judaism through Protestantism to Catholicism. In Haiti, the religion metamorphosed into vodun or vaudoux; in Cuba, santeria, in Brazil, candomble; in Trinidad, Shango Baptist; in Mexico, curanderismo; in Jamaica, obeah. In the American South, it became voodoo and, in the most extreme caricature, hoodoo... " |
| Canela | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 702. | Chapter: "South American Tribal Religions "; map: "Tribal Locations "; central Brazil |
| Caraja | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 702. | Chapter: "South American Tribal Religions "; map: "Tribal Locations "; central Brazil, near Brasilia |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | 6,033 units |
- | 1977 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 89.00% | - | - | 1980 | *LINK* Epstein, Jack. "Kicking of icon outrages Brazil Catholics " in Dallas Morning News, November 24, 1995; (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com). | "In Brazil, the 1980 census showed that 89% of residents described themselves as [Roman] Catholic. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 89.00% | - | - | 1980 | *LINK* Kamm, Thomas. "Evangelicals, Stressing 'Cures' for Masses' Misery, Make Inroads in Roman Catholic Latin America " in The Wall Street Journal, 10/16/91. (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com) | "In a poll taken last week, only 72% of Brazilians described themselves as Roman Catholics, down from 89% in the 1980 census... " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | 6,423 units |
- | 1982 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | 6,872 units |
- | 1987 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 72.00% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Kamm, Thomas. "Evangelicals, Stressing 'Cures' for Masses' Misery, Make Inroads in Roman Catholic Latin America " in The Wall Street Journal, 10/16/91. (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com) | "In a poll taken last week, only 72% of Brazilians described themselves as Roman Catholics, down from 89% in the 1980 census... This year alone, the Catholic Church estimates 600,000 people will desert it. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 88.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | 7,605 units |
- | 1992 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 134,818,000 | 86.50% | 7,997 units |
- | 1995 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 333-367. | Figures are as of Dec. 31, 1995. Number used for "congregations " is from number of Catholic parishes. |
| Catholic | Brazil | 110,000,000 | 71.90% | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Epstein, Jack. "Kicking of icon outrages Brazil Catholics " in Dallas Morning News, November 24, 1995; (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com). | "About 110 million of the nation's 153 million inhabitants are [Roman] Catholic, making Brazil the world's largest Roman Catholic country. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 70.00% | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Epstein, Jack. "Kicking of icon outrages Brazil Catholics " in Dallas Morning News, November 24, 1995; (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com). | "In Brazil, the 1980 census showed that 89% of residents described themselves as [Roman] Catholic. Religious experts say that number has fallen to 70% of the population, while 20%, or about 30 million people, call themselves evangelicals. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 143,556,992 | 89.00% | - | - | 1995 | Heinrichs, Ann. Brazil ( "Enchantment of the World Second Series "). New York: Children's Press (1997), pg. 95. | Pg. 83: Estimated 1995 population: 161.3 million. Pg. 95: "Religious of Brazil: Roman Catholic: 89%; Protestant: 6.6%; Other (Spiritism, Afro-Christian sects, etc.): 4.4% " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 105,000,000 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Nascimento, Elma Lia. "Praise the Lord and pass the catch-up ", "news from Brazil, November 1995; dateline: Brazzil ". (viewed 30 July 1999, web site: RickRoss.com) | "Apparently, Universal with its 3 million faithful is no match for the 105 million Catholics (35 million of which are practicing)... " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 111,000,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; "Roman Catholic (including syncretistic Afro-Catholic cults having Spiritist beliefs and rituals) " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | 80.00% | - | - | 1997 | Brandao, Carlos Rodrigues. "Popular Faith in Brazil " in South and Meso-American Native Spirituality, ed. by Gary H. Gossen. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co. (1997), pg. 443. | "Although 80% of Brazilians nominally declare themselves Catholic, there are great differences of fatih and spirituality among them. Today, that which could be called the Brazilian spirituality is actually an amalgram of many ways of thinking about and experiencing God and the divine, together with other beings, spirits, and saints. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 115,157,960 | 70.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%; Total population: 164,511,366. |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | 7,966 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* Zenit. "DOSSIER: BRAZIL AND MEXICO HAVE LARGEST NUMBER OF CATHOLICS " on "Zenit News Agency " web site (online Catholic news); Archives: 13 June 1999 (ZE99061302). (Viewed 19 June 1999). | "...figures given in the latest edition of the Church's Statistical Yearbook for 1997... Brazil is the country with the largest number of dioceses or ecclesiastical districts (262)... " |
| Catholic | Brazil | 137,570,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* Zenit. "DOSSIER: BRAZIL AND MEXICO HAVE LARGEST NUMBER OF CATHOLICS " on "Zenit News Agency " web site (online Catholic news); Archives: 13 June 1999 (ZE99061302). (Viewed 19 June 1999). Dateline: Vatican City. | "The country in the world with the largest number of Catholics is Brazil, with 137,570 million... some of the figures given in the latest edition of the Church's Statistical Yearbook for 1997, the source with the most accurate data on the Church's strength in the world. " |
| Catholic | Brazil | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 88. | Chapter: "Brazilians "; "While many Brazilians claim to be Roman Catholic, these beliefs are often infused with traditional practices. Offerings and gifts are made to saints and protective spirits for favors in this life. " |
